Chocolate Cake
by KittyCurse13
Summary: When Artemis gets up in the middle of the night for a sweet treat who knows if the chocolate cake is the only one he is in for?
1. Chapter 1

_Characters are all copyrighted to the great Eoin Colfer, I'm just stealing them to fufil my evil girly fantasies._

_This is a random fic to make you guys smile and to thank all of those who faved my last work 'Pseudonyms', you guys are awesome!_

_This takes place after book 6 but before book 7 if you really want a time area._

_Enjoy~ _

The air in the study was cold as Artemis woke slowly from his dreams. The light lilac curtains fluttered calmly in the wind as it slipped in through the small open window. He watched it sleepily and rubbed the dust from his eyes, turning to glance at the clock on the desk next to him. 2:03am it read, in bright, bold red numbering. He couldn't remember falling asleep but as he looked over his shoulder and noticed the thin brown sheet over him he couldn't help but smile. She was always taking care of him when he stayed up to work.

Gently, he removed the sheet and folded it over the computer chair and glanced out at the early morning across Dublin. The manor wasn't out too far from the city, he could still make out the lights over the wall. Dublin was so alive, even still. He felt is he could just close his eyes, he could be part of that living energy too.

Moving across the room, he pulled the curtains shut and headed downstairs towards one of the manor's three kitchenettes. He opened the fridge and screwed up his nose at the bright light, reaching for anything he could find. His fingers met something cold and sticky and he pulled it out; a piece of chocolate cake on a plate, the remainders of his mother's recent baking with the twins.

He kicked the door closed behind him and laid down the plate, pouring himself a glass of pure, filtered Irish spring water from the bottle behind him. He yawned as he pulled up a seat to the table and dug his spoon into the thick, deep brown sponge. Lifting it to his mouth, he took a small bite, almost licking it from the spoon. The taste was sweet with just the tiniest hint of the bitterness of the cocoa. He smiled when he imagined the mess his mother and brothers would have made trying to get it just write and how his father would laugh and join in as they threw the flour around.

He let a soft sign escape his lips as he stared down at the cake and scooped another forkful. It was so hard to get used to this new life; he had everything he had ever wanted as a boy…but he was a man now, there were new needs, new desires, to replace those old ones. He glanced up at the photograph sitting on the sideboard next to the toaster. The mahogany frame was an expensive one, but it paled in comparison to its precious contents; Butler was there, smiling and strong, he had just started training again after his injury, was getting better, fitter, and there was his sister Juliet too, with an arm slung around Mulch as he wolfed down a greedy sandwich. And there was himself too, smiling like he was the happiest person in the world at that single moment. And of course, she was there too. Holly was next to him, shyly smiling, cuddling up in his arms, looking so beautiful, so human. She was dressed in one of his suits, not in her usual LEPrecon gear and she looked so changed, so new.

He smiled at the memories that they had shared, the good and bad didn't matter, they were all just special memories time had left him to ponder on mornings like this.

She came by all the time, constantly popping in for visits and over the years he had thought just to come out and own up but it wasn't his style. He had the world at his fingers, and he was so close to another Noble Prize but it just didn't seem to matter, unless she was there next to him, smiling and nudging him, bullying him with those glittering eyes.

He listened in the darkness and heard a soft fluttering next him. Spinning, he faced the empty air and blinked,

"I know you're there," he said to the nothingness.

The nothingness smiled and appeared,

"Was wondering who was up at this late hour," she replied as she walked slowly forward, leaning over the counter,

"I'd thought you'd gone to sleep hours ago."

"I had," he smiled, watching his fork cut into the slice of cake shyly,

"Thanks, by the way, for the blanket."

He could see he blush from the corner of his eye as she settled into the seat next to him, reaching over and taking the fork from his fingers. He could feel a spark as their digits met, and he wondered what kind of magic it was.

She dug the fork in deep and pulled out a dark piece of the centre cream, bringing it up to her lips and pulling it into her mouth. She let out a soft moan of delight and swallowed,

"You're always welcome Arty," she smiled and again dug the fork into the cake.

She lifted the piece up and her eyes met his. One brown, one blue. The eyes that they shared together.

She pressed the fork to his lips and grinned,

"Aren't you gonna eat? If you stop I'll eat the whole thing."

Blushing, he looked down and opened his mouth shyly as she fed him the piece of cake. His heart was racing at the intimacy of the action and he couldn't look away as she leant forward and brushed a hand over his lips almost so softly he could barely feel the touch.

"Crumbs," she laughed in way of explanation,

"You really are a Mudboy with your face all covered like that."

He looked away and smirked, thinking of his mother and brothers again, the flour on the floor, the mess they made in their fun, and he glanced up at her, his eyes full of childish mischief and he could sense her surprise as the first bit of chocolate cake hit her.

Laughing and taking off across the room with the plate, she threw pieces back, chocolate sponge and icing covering their clothes and fingers. He could feel such a surge of happiness within himself as he pulled out the flour from the cupboard and threw large handfuls of it over her. He ran to her and covered her hair, messing it playfully and she laughed and held him close, making sure to cover him too.

As they held each other the laughter became breathless and they panted softly, smiling until it hurt. Artemis reached up a hand and pulled something out of her hair slowly, holding it up with a smirk,

"Chocolate," he grinned and blushed as she leant forward and licked it off his sticky fingers teasingly.

Holly wrapped an arm tight around him, tilting his chin up to look at her as she brushed her thumb over his dirty face. Artemis could feel his heart pounding hard against his rib cage and it was so loud he could barely think logically.

_What am I doing? She's…she's so close, but I can't move. She's looking right at me, my heart hurts and I can't breathe…I better make note of these symptoms and look them up later._

He felt his eyes closing as she leant closer and the smell of sweet chocolate overcame all of his senses. His hands were shaking as he closed them around her tiny body and she pressed her lips to his.

The shock of adrenaline seemed to restart his heart and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. It was all her; her smell, her touch, her taste. He'd read about this before, the moment of your first real, adult kiss, the first time you ever step up and give your feelings to someone else. It was more real now that anything he had ever read, more soft and sweet, more wet.

He pulled back with a low sigh and opened his eyes; she was smiling, her eyes still closed,

"Artemis Fowl," she whispered as her beautiful eyes slowly pulled open again,

"I do believe you just kissed me."

Reddening more at the thought of his sudden bravery, Artemis just let himself grin and run a hand through his dark hair,

"You weren't half bad," he commented,

"Could use a bit more practise though."

Holly arched an eyebrow and grabbed his tie, tugging him so his face was inches from hers,

"When you taste like chocolate cake, you can get all the practise you want."

Then she pulled him in and kissed him again, and the world was swirling in flour and chocolate and neither of them even gave a passing thought to what Butler would say in the morning when he saw the mess he would have to clean up.


	2. Chapter 2

Dedicated to Athena Coral Fowl for all of her support :) hope you like a bit of a cheesy, or rather chocolatey, second part!

They should have given it more thought. Butler, I mean. The mess was much worse in the light of day that either Artemis nor Holly had thought. Butler had frowned at Artemis, telling him his sudden chocolatey madness was 'very out of character' as he watched Holly fade, laughing, in the corner of his eye. He'd pay her back for her abandonment.

Butler hadn't listened to a word of how expensive his suit was, as if he didn't really care that this was pure Italian silk, and had merely given him an apron to put on top. Bright yellow was certainly not his colour. Artemis pouted as he looked down at the smiling turtle picture,

"You're lucky you're just an illustration or I would fry you up with shrimp and make a salad dish."

"It's always cute when you damn inanimate objects," came a voice from behind him,

"Very evil super-villain of you."

Artemis turned with the mop in his hands and glared playfully,

"Super-villain's can't hold a grudge like I can."

Holly pulled open the fridge, talking as she searching through its contents,

"Oh come on, it's only a little bit of fun Arty."

Continuing to clean the remains of chocolate icing off the floor, Artemis smiled,

"It was a very…unexpected evening."

He blushed again, he could barely stop thinking about their kiss. They had spent the whole night talking but it was never mentioned again. He was so afraid that she has made a mistake and didn't want to bring it up again. He glanced at her over his shoulder, her slender frame half poking out of the fridge. Seeing her in the light, it was so much clearer now that ever; he was in love with her. At first it had been physical attraction but as their adventures continued he realized that it was so much more.

He leant the mop against the cupboard doors and pulled out a small cloth, beginning to wipe the mess from the tabletop. _How does Butler manage this and his training? It's terrible, the smell is so orange I think I'm seeing in citrus._

"Artemis?"

He was lost in his thoughts now, he could barely hear her. The thought of the way she tasted, the way it felt to touch her without her pulling away. Would he ever have that feeling again? He shook his head, physically trying to scatter his thoughts away from her but they kept reassembling like an indestructible atom; an energy that moved from one form to the next in his mind. So utterly unavoidable, so completely immovable and permanent. He scrubbed a dried in piece of chocolate hard, pushing his frustration into the motion as she called to him again.

Hearing her, he turned quickly and saw her standing at the doorway holding a bag. She smiled and pushed the milk she'd taken from the fridge across the tablet to him,

"I figured we owed the twins a new cake."

She emptied the bag of goods onto the table; everything she would need for a new chocolate cake. Not questioning where she had found them, never really having seen the inside of the cupboards himself, he picked up a bowl and read the recipe on the back of the main box;

"Okay, seems simple but them again I have found that Home Economics can surprise you."

Holly nudged him and danced past, already mixing the eggs and flour into a bowl,

"Come on Artemis, is it only in the dead of night I get to see the real you?"

He blushed at thought of their kiss and grabbed a second bowl, mixing the chocolate cake mix altogether,

"I am always me Holly," he said, trying not to meet her eyes.

Leaning in close to him, Holly smiled, her bright eyes shining with the same mischief he had seen in himself last night,

"You can empty in if you want," she whispered with a wink.

"W-wha?" he stuttered his gears jamming before they whirred in his mind,

"Oh yes, dry goes into wet."

_Wet_. Images of her lips, her tongue, the way she tasted. He shook his head, discarding them again. _No, don't think about that. Cooking is a science, you like science, pay attention to the science._

He tipped his mix into hers and she grinned, rolling them over one another as he set up the oven.

It didn't take very long to cook through, being only a small mix, and the room filled with a sweet cocoa smell as Holly pulled open the oven door. She breathed in deep and closed her eyes, slowly licking her lips as if tasting the very air around her.

"Smells great," she said,

"Always loved the smell of chocolate cake."

As she set it on the cooling rack she began to layer it with icing, slowly taking care to cover it all. She hummed as she worked and smiled at his, eyelashes long and deep setting her chocolate and crystal eyes,

"You want a taste?" she said.

Artemis blushed,

"I've had enough cake for today," he replied, composing himself, brushing down his suit again.

Holly leaned in close to him, making sure to press her body tight to his,

"I wasn't talking about the cake, Fowl," she purred.

He blinked in surprise as his lips were attacked by hers and next thing he knew she was on him on the table, the smell of sweetness and chocolate all around them. He could feel himself swelling against her and he moaned in her mouth, hot under the collar and finally truly understanding that old expression. He panted as they pulled apart and she licked his lips, staring into his warm, shy eyes,

"So where do we go from here?" she asked, looking almost afraid compared to her passion a second before.

His heart wouldn't stop pounding, he could hardly breathe now. Go? He had never felt this way before, this painful need, this fire deep in his stomach. He pulled his arms around her, holding her close and kissed her again, softer, full of things he could never say,

"I'll learn Holly," he said gently, breathing on her ear,

"I'll learn how to show you what my head says, what my heart says, if you give me the chance."

She smiled,

"I meant the cake," she laughed and hopped down from the table, reappearing with a thick slice of cake. She fed a little piece from the corner into his mouth and kissed him as he swallowed,

"Just think; if we can make a cake so sweet when we know the recipe, just think of how sweet we can make our lives when we've got nothing at all planned yet?"

His face relaxed and he licked his lip, pulling her into him,

"We can go see the world, Cairo, Hollywood, Venice, eat what we want, see what we want."

Holly smiled and tasted more of the cake,

"Taste the finest chocolate cake life has to offer."

"Sounds like we have made a plan then," he blushed and brought up the courage to kiss her, rolling his tongue so gently around hers, feeling her heart beat with his and from the doorway Butler and Juliet shook their heads as Artemis the second covered Miles' eyes,

"I'll be damned if I'm cleaned up this mess," laughed Juliet and this time she knew her brother would definitely agree.


End file.
